
Originally Posted by
ITN
Russell Brand has said he will resign from his Radio 2 show over lewd phone calls made to actor Andrew Sachs.
Brand said in a statement that he took "complete responsibility" for the incident and that he got "caught up in the moment".
The announcement came after Jonathan Ross publicly apologised for his part in the prank calls made to the 78-year-old Fawlty Towers star.
Ross, who was earlier suspended by the BBC along with Brand, said: "I am deeply sorry and greatly regret the upset and distress that my juvenile and thoughtless remarks on the Russell Brand Show have caused.
"I have not issued a statement previously because it was my intention and desire to offer an apology to all those offended on my Friday night programme. However, it was a stupid error of judgment on my part, and I offer a full apology."
The message, left during a pre-recorded radio show, featured boasts from Brand about his sexual relationship with Sachs' granddaughter Georgina Baillie and jokes from the presenters that the veteran actor might kill himself after the revelation.
Speaking outside his London home, Sachs said he was "not surprised" the pair had been suspended but said he was not planning to take the matter up with the police.
He said the pair had got it "badly wrong" and made a "poor team", but he was not seeking revenge. Sachs said the matter was "very upsetting" not just for himself, but for his wife, who is ill in hospital, and other members of his family.
"I'm very sorry it happened. These things happen, people get things wrong, in this case they got it badly wrong," he added.
BBC Director General Mark Thompson said: "I would like to add my own personal and unreserved apology to Andrew Sachs, his family and to licence fee payers for the completely unacceptable broadcast on BBC Radio 2."
Miss Baillie, 23, branded the high-earning presenters "cruel sickos", saying: "What's funny about humiliating a lovely old man who has never harmed anyone in his life? My grandfather is really upset and says he wants the whole situation to end.
"They (Brand and Ross) should at least pay for what they've done with their jobs."
Miss Baillie said she felt "totally and utterly exposed and betrayed" by the calls and has threatened that she could make an official complaint to police, but admitted she had slept with Brand.
Bookmarks